Monday, December 31, 2012

We are anticipating a lot of wonderful books in 2013, Candace and I are taking time to share with you the books that we are most excited to see be released. Do you have a list of books you are excited about? Share a link below.

Top 5 Favorites from Northwest Authors:Candace's Picks:

The next book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor. No cover or title yet though. ~ Even though I haven't read Days of Blood and Starlight yet, I know that once I do I'll be dying for the next book!

The Essence by Kimberly Derting (this comes out Jan. 1st!) ~ I really enjoyed The Pledge and am curious to see what comes next!

Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting~ I so need to know what happens next!

Anything by Lish McBride. Okay, so I'm not sure which book is coming out next (I know she has a contract for two that are not of the Necromancer series, but same world, I'm just not sure when they come out). So I'm just saying this, if something of hers comes out in 2013 I will be all over it!

Dracomachia by Rachel Hartman ~ Since I loved Seraphina I'm definitely excited to see what comes next!

I know that there are a bunch more that we don't even know about yet. And some that I accidentally missed. But I know that 2013 is going to be a epic year for Pacific NW authors!

Mel's Picks:

I am quite excited for The Essence by Kimberly Derting as well! I loved The Pledge and can't wait to find out what happens next to Charlaina. In fact, I was given a copy of this from my event coordinator at the bookstore I work. Already started it!

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry - I have lately read a handful of April's book's. They are interesting mystery books that I enjoy and recommend. If you want something that isn't your typical contemporary or dystopian check out her other books: 'Girl, Stolen', 'Shock Point' and 'Torched'. I've read and recommed them all.

The Dark Shore by Kevin Emerson is book two in The Atlanteans and I am enjoying this historically based book that talks about The Lost City of Atlantis.

Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein is a companion novel to go along with 'Pretty Amy' which came out in 2012. I am sad to say while I have 'Pretty Amy' I have yet to grab it off my massive To Be Read pile. But I will definitely be reading it before 'Dear Cassie' comes out so that I am ready to read the Prom night story from Amy's friend's perspective.

The Last Dance by Kiki Hamilton - I love contemporary sport books and this is a book I am very excited to read. It comes out sometime in 2013. It is definitely on my To Read list!!

*Sorry I was unable to find covers for all the books as they have not been posted.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Rae's always dreamed of
dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in
other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants
of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give.

As
Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo
for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive
Nathan becomes jealous.

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU.
Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the
darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

This review will also be posted at Candace's Book Blog.
This book was absolutely incredible.
It was such a perfect mix of light and dark and while the dark may
sometimes get hard to read, it's mixed with so much light happy moments
that the book never feels dark. It just feels beautiful. Because Rae is
such a beautiful person inside. She deals with so much, but she gives so much.

Rae
lives with her mother and stepfather. Her mother ignores her most of
the time and is more focused on keeping her husband happy. The
stepfather is an evil conniving man that you just want to throttle.
Straight away we see that Rae isn't happy at home, she has to make
dinner every night for her stepfather and he's always a jerk about it,
but things get progressively worse as the story continues. At this time
she meets Nathan, a new kid. He's very good looking and her friends
push her to go out with him and she does. Straight away we see that she
feels with her gut that something is wrong, that he's not as perfect as
he appears, but she likes having someone and having her own boyfriend.
But as he becomes a stalker and a jealous jerk she realizes he's really
not right for her. This relationship was portrayed very well. Nathan
is someone we don't necessarily like, but we do feel sorry for
him. He doesn't have the best life either even though he has money and a
mother and father. But he's very selfish and only wants to talk about
his own problems. The whole time I was screaming at Rae to tell him
that she has problems too! Why is it always about him? As Rae is
dodging him and trying to survive her declining home life she starts
getting to know Leo, an old friend, a bit better and starts to realize
what a true friend is and what a good boyfriend would really be like.

Rae works at a flower shop with two incredible people
that we can't help but fall in love with. This job is her retreat
where she gets to get away from everything. Then these notes start
showing up with money enclosed asking for flowers to be delivered to
certain people anonymously. So when Rae goes to deliver these flowers
she sees that these people need her. They need someone to talk to, or
to help, just to be there. And she's such a selfless person that she
spends time with them, even helps financially in one case even though
she has nothing herself. Rae also writes poetry and starts so many
others writing poetry that she starts a sort of poetry revolution. She
sees she's not the only one hurting, that people should learn to share
their true feelings and what they are going through so that people can
lean on each other ran than keeping it all to themselves. Rae is such a
wonderful character, I may even say she's going in my all time most
favorite characters ever. She deals with so much but she goes out and helps others instead of dwelling on her own problems and situation.

Through
the book we know that something happens that sends her to the ICU but
we don't know what it is. I found myself guessing at what happened to
put her there and is she okay? I was desperate for answers and I
cruised through the book in a matter of hours only setting the book down
a couple times. The entire book had me fully captivated. I wanted
that happy ending for Rae because she deserved it so, so much.

After
each of Lisa Schroeder's books that I read I always say, that's my
favorite. Well, I'm saying it again, that's my favorite. But you know
what? I bet if I reread I would say each of the others is my favorite
and so let's just say this ~ Lisa Schroeder is an amazing writer that
puts such incredible emotion in her books and nails it on the head every
single time, and ALL her books are my favorite. Another thing to note
is that this is her first YA book that is not in verse. That's right,
this book is not in verse. But there is some of Rae's poetry in it, and
Lisa's gorgeous writing is still there. It's an incredibly powerful
book and will certainly encourage you to be a better person and to
always remember to pay it forward and do random acts of kindness.

Disclosure:
I received this book as a gift from the author but all opinions
expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

At the end of this delighful year, Candace and I are taking time to share with you our absolute favorite books that we have read during 2012. Leave a link to your favorites list so we can stop by and check them out!

Top 5 Favorites from Northwest Authors:

Candace's Picks:

Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride ~ This book has ended up on an all time favorites list. I completely fell in love! It's the second in the series, and the first is terrific, but this is even better! Fantastic world building and characters!

Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder ~ This one releases January 1st and I'm telling you now, rush out to get this book! It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure I have read a book that has touched me the way this one did. That truly made me want to be a better person.

The Right and the Real by Joelle Anthony ~ So real, so raw, and so amazing!

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman ~ I am a huge fantasy fan, and while this was a quieter fantasy as far as action goes, it was just as beautiful and was such a wonderful take on dragons. Loved it!

Salvation by Anne Osterlund ~ This actually comes out in January, and you'll see it featured here on the blog soon, but it is a stunning YA contemporary book that will simply blow you away!

We agreed to do five each, but I'm heartbroken cause there's one more that really needs to be on the list. So I'm saying it's a RUNNER UP, and that is:

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting ~ This series is just getting better and better! I absolutely loved this third book in the series and can't wait to see what comes next!

I'm pretty sure that Days of Blood and Starlight would be on this list but unfortunately I haven't been able to squeeze it in just yet.

Mel's Picks:

I'm counting Cinder and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer as one pick. I read Cinder and immediately followed it up by reading the unreleased Scarlet. (2013 release) Cinder and Scarlet are both amazing books and the storyline is easy to follow. The way Marissa adds in characters is fun and I love all the characters, even the bad boys.

Nameless, A Tale of Beauty and Madness by Lili St. Crow is the first book I've read by this author and it won't be the last. I stayed up late reading this because I could not put it down. My first thought was 'damn'. This is an amazing read! My second thought was, where does Lili live so I can go ask her for the next book!

First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky Stayed up til 1 am reading this book. I'm thinking that's a good idea of how amazing this book is. I really enjoyed the book and I want to go to Sedona now and hike around in 100 degree heat. Clearly I'm crazy but that's ok! Katie's books make me crazy and I encourage you to get crazy too.

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson was my 'remembering what it was like to go to camp' book. Although no way did I have an awesome and adventurous time that Owen had. Looking forward to The Dark Shore (book 2).

Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala was a surprise book for me. I did not expect to be sucked into the storyline and feel empathy for Joy. I learned a lot about what it might be like if I were to end up homeless. Family comes from unexpected places. I can't wait for Holly's next book.

The Kingdom of Soron is known for many things, its rolling landscape, haunting history, fiery sunsets, and its beautiful princess. Princess Madeline woke on her sixteenth birthday to realize that her future had been planned out, a life full of privilege, royalty, and boredom... a life with a husband and knight champion that she did not choose. Using her charm, strength and stubbornness, she defies the King at every turn, determined to keep her freedom on her terms.

Freedom quickly turns to disaster as she finds herself seized by a group of wandering bandits. With the kingdom in turmoil over her capture- her Knight Champion eager to prove himself, a group of dedicated suitors determined to win her hand, and a group of exiled wizards join forces in the hunt to rescue her. Follow Princess Madeline in this adventure to find freedom and love.

My Review:

What a fun story! Ever wonder what it would be like to have a dream room in a castle filled with pink-pink-pink?! Lol. And dances and princes and beautiful dresses... and brave knights and stern fathers who have more heart than they want to admit. This story is full of all the delightful dreams that would make a beautiful wallpaper.

Even the danger didn't feel dangerous to me. Rather it was exciting and different. Madeline might have been uncomfortable, maybe hungry, but she was discovering life in the woods full of bandits. Danger involves some uncomfy moments. Maybe a rolling-down-the-hill-helplessly moment, too. For good measure.

The romance is cute. Reminded me of a Disney movie with all the heart-swelling moments anyone could wish for. The mysterious monks... and the mysterious dreams... remain mysterious to me. The father is wonderful despite his gruff beginning. Madeline learns and grows a lot.

This is a very fun story for young girls who think they are ready for a little more adventure, but still sleep with their special pillows. (I have a special pillow, so I can say that.) I think this would be a fun story to read aloud, mother and daughter, too. Pretty much anyone who likes Disney movies and maybe even watches 'em over and over 'cause there's just not enough of 'em... anyone like that should definitely pick up this book!!

Interview:

1. How did the book begin for me? What was the idea that sparked it all?

“The Escape of Princess Madeline” began as an escape for me. I actually wrote this book several years ago, while working at an office. That position didn’t fulfill my creative need to express, so on my lunch breaks, I began writing. One day, over my tomato and cucumber salad, as I was doodling in my notebook, a light bulb went off in my head. Suddenly, this story began unfolding in my mind … every day during lunch, I picked up where I had left off, and a month and a half later, the first draft was finished.

I have always gravitated towards the fantasy genre. Growing up, as an elementary youth, I wanted to be whisked away to a far off land with princesses and castles and knights, but what I found was that most fantasy novels were a struggle to read due to them being above my reading level. So when I began writing and as ideas began to flow through my mind, I really wanted to capture something that both a younger reader, a teen, and even an adult would enjoy. A story with aspects of magic, fantasy, and romance, with a positive tone and a quick pace.

2. Do you have a favorite scene? Or character?

How to pick just one… ha J. One of my favorites would be the Royal Ball. This is the first moment where Princess Madeline defies her father, and makes a stand towards her independence. I love the duplicity of the scene- the battle of wills between Princess Madeline and King Theodore, the conflicting emotions as suitors are presented, all this tension portrayed in such a beautiful setting.

Princess Madeline was fun to create. It was very important to me to make sure she was relatable and real. Yes, she is a princess, but above all, she is a sixteen year old girl. A girl growing up on the verge of her own life and her own choices. It was important to balance the hard and soft qualities of her – her rashness with intelligence, her stubbornness with strength, and her defiance with vulnerability.

3. Share something personal…

Besides loving fantasy, I have to say, I love Disney movies. They are full of enchantment, magic and positive messages. As a stay at home mom, every day I am challenged with teaching my children and reinforcing positive life lessons. It was after watching “Tangled” for about the 20th time, that I had my own epiphany. Somewhere along the line, growing up, I forgot about following my dreams and just focused on the responsibilities of being an adult. So now, when I watch a Disney movie, I make sure that I remember those lessons are also for me. We make a point to teach our kids they can do anything, accomplish anything, try anything, but it is also important to make sure we have not forgotten that lesson as well.

Besides that, I also have to mention this incredible thing about where I live. Living in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, I am blessed with beautiful forests, and natural wonders, but one of my favorites is Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. I am a huge “Goonie’s” fan, and I absolutely love going to the beach and playing right beside the big Goonie’s rock. I still look at it and wait for One-eyed Willy and the pirate ship to sail away. J Some childhood memories never fade.

How fun!! I love the Oregon beaches. They seem so ready for magic and fairytales. It's so great how open you are to fantasy and "what if". Thank you for the interview!! And for writing such a whimsical story!!

About the Author:

Kirstin Pulioff is a storyteller at heart. Born and raised in Southern California, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Forest Management. Happily married and a mother of two, she lives in North Plains, Oregon, and enjoys being a stay at home mom. When she’s not writing, she is busy with her kids, church and the family business.

Note from Burgandy Ice:I rec'd this book to review via this awesome Northwest Neighbors community... celebrating authors from the Northwest and authors visiting the Northwest.

I am relatively new to the concept of connecting with bloggers and authors that live near me. Lol. I'm not sure I even want to know how many authors have come my way and I didn't know it. Yikes!! Maybe I'll miss less of 'em with community help, hey?

Friday, December 14, 2012

What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

We kept walking on the lake trail, the bullfrogs croaking. There was also a humming in my ears from the nicotine.

It could only be from the nicotine. It had nothing to do with being outside, at night, alone with Ben. It had nothing to do with Ben coming to the cabin and taking me instead of Nez and it definitely had nothing to do with the stars above us shining like they were the sky’s tiara.

I stopped on the trail and looked up, taking them in, when all of a sudden bright colored lights exploded in the sky—fireworks, one after another, on top of each other, huge kaleidoscopes of light, like sparkling rainbow spiders.

“How did you know?” I asked, my voice going softer, like if I talked too loudly they would stop. It was so beautiful, after weeks of so much ugly.

Ben turned to look at me, the colored lights in the sky turning his skin pink, blue, green. “I’m magic.” He shrugged.
I geared up to tell him to fuck off, because that was some corny-ass shit, but then I realized that he really kind of was. In that moment he was able to actually make me forget being me.

“I probably would.” I laughed, the sky filling with noisy color like paint launching from a giant popcorn popper. “But like I said, it wouldn’t be about you.”

“I guess I’ll have to figure out how to make it about me,” he said, taking off his boots and socks and standing. “Come on.”

“There is no way I am getting near that water again,” I said.

“I’ll make sure nothing happens to you,” he said, holding his hand out to help me up.

I looked at his palm, open, waiting, just wanting to hold mine. For once, I didn’t think about anything except that there was a cute, sweet, smart-ass boy standing in front of me with his hand out.

I pulled off my boots and socks and took it.

We stood at the lakeshore, our hands still clasped, the water licking our feet, fireworks decorating the sky.

I turned to him. He was looking up, his mouth open in wonder like he was trying to swallow the moment.

It was definitely one worth keeping.

A little bit about our Pacific Northwest Neighbor:

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Fiction from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University. She lives in Portland, OR, with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats. Dear Cassie is her second novel. You can find Lisa on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.

If you are wondering about Lisa's first novel, Pretty Amy, check out the links below!

CONTEST!

In addition to the DEAR CASSIE cover reveal, Lisa is hosting an EPIC CONTEST to celebrate DEAR CASSIE’s cover reveal. Lisa wants you guys to share diary entries of your favorite fictional characters with me. That’s right, choose ANY character from books, TV, movies, a cereal box and write a 500-750 length diary entry from their point of view.

They will choose the top 5 and then let the masses vote on their favorite. The favorite will be published in the final version of DEAR CASSIE. You read that right, published with the author’s name! The additional four will win $20 book buying gift cards.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

From left to right is Elizabeth, Becca, Kresley, Tonya and Drew (model for Patch)

The format for this event was a bit different then most events I've been to. There was a mic and it went back and forth between those in the audience and the authors. Questions were asked of all the authors and Patch. It was fun to hear their next projects, their thoughts on movie deals and more.

This is what happens when you take your own books, and books for two other people. At some point a slip of paper with your name on it ends up in the wrong name in it.

And then you freak out and @screenamesbite Bella comes to your rescue with a cunning plan.

And basically your whole group of 6 bloggers takes up as much of all the authors time as possible before moving out of the way so others can get their books signed and meet the authors.

Unfortunately I do not have the photos of all 6 of us getting our photos taken with the authors as those were taken by a friend who hasn't given me copies.

Oh and you stand around talking to Tracy, who happens to be Tonya's awesome twin sister. HI TRACY! And you hear horror stories from tour that you wish you had audio recorded to re-live later on.

Drew is the model for Patch. He is on all four covers and we were so excited he was on tour. It was fun to hear a bit about him. He was sweet enough to sign posters and books. Are you okay there? Oh you are squealing...please stop. I know it's exciting but ouch!

If you missed out on the awesome Finale tour, I have no idea what to tell you. But we do know that the authors are all working on new books:

Monday, December 10, 2012

Libba was so hysterically funny, I'm pretty sure I started crying for laughing so hard. @NovelNovice and I were in the front row and really enjoyed hear Libba share a story she wrote as a kid. I wish she would record it as an AudioBook. Actually I wish we had recorded her reading it live that night for an AudioBook. She would stop periodically and interject comments about her story. I'm really sorry to say if you missed Libba on tour you seriously missed out!

Anyway, Libba the Amazing, was in town to talk about her newest book 'The Diviners'. Here is a bit about it from Libba's website.

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”

Libba also answered questions about all of her books and ended the evening by signing her books.

I loved that she talked about the Gemma Doyle Trilogy which is my favorite set of books by her.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Laini Taylor started her tour off at Powell's in Beaverton. We were delighted to see her!

Here is some information about her newest book 'Days of Blood & Starlight' which is the second book in her 'Daughter of Smoke & Bone' trilogy.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is--and what she is. But with this knowledge comes anoher truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Laini read from 'Days of Blood & Starlight', showed us some pieces from the new jewelry line that goes along with the trilogy and answered questions for her readers. Because I was enjoying her reading and laughing at the answers to the great questions of other readers I have no notes. So you will have to take it from that you really should just READ THE SERIES! Laini is awesome and easy to find on Twitter and her Website.

The jewelry line can be found Here. There are 22 pieces altogether and they are beautiful. Personally I would love a Wishbone Necklace in silver. The pieces come in silver, bronze, and brass. Check out some photos below of a few pieces of her jewelry.

Wishbone Necklace

Adder Vertebrae Bracelet

Smoke & Bone Tooth Necklace

Laini Taylor is donating all of the monies she receives for the entire Jewelry Collection on sales through January 31, 2013 including Holiday Sales, to the Red Cross for the Hurricane Sandy Relief fund.